Since
I was going to Africa anyway for Mural
1, and I had to fly to South Africa to make the connecting flight
to Namibia, I had to stay for a few days in Capetown, one of my most favorite
places on the planet. I love strolling the harbor area, walking
along the multicolored Victorian houses, and viewing Table Mountain from
every vantage point. South Africans, who know the city and have
cars, tell me there is so much more to the city than what I experience
in the city center, but I don't care. I love the places I've explored.

The
very day I booked my ticket to Capetown, I had an email from Coenie, a
Dutch Reformed Church minister. He found my clip art and wanted to know
how much it cost to use it in publications for his ministry. I immediately
asked if he was from Capetown. If he wanted to show me around the
area, and feed me traditional South African food, I'd call us even.
He wasn't from Capetown.

But,
he made arrangements to fly there and meet me for the day.

A
couple years later, I just had to return to Africa and Coenie said he
could find some mural locations for me. The first one was at his church,
the Suiderkruis Gemeente (Southern Cross Congregation), and you couldn't
be in any better hands than that.

This
was my first mural at a church. Since I have a huge Biblical clip
art collection on my website, it wasn't a problem selecting art for the
mural. The problem was narrowing down the amount of art to be used.
The children's worship room at Suiderkruis was fifteen yards long. I
didn't bat an eye at that length. Been there, painted that before. It
was quite a lot of fun to compile my art
into a mural stretching from
creation to Moses, on through the prophets and birth of Christ, and finishing
with the second coming.

It
was difficult to find volunteers for some of my previous murals.
I soon learned that it wasn't too hard to find volunteers at a church.
They came in all sizes, colors, and ages. More than fifty people
helped including children from the local orphanage, teenagers coming in
after exams, and a dedicated crew of talented men and women. It
couldn’t have been done without them and it certainly wouldn't have
been as much fun.

And,
unlike most of my murals, I wasn't the only one to outline things in black.
I had four very patient - and oh, so steady - helpers assisting with that
part of the project. It wouldn't have been done in four days without
them.